Ranges Bridge Pilot Project

Ranges Bridge Pilot Project is a permanent mixed-species environmental planting project located in the rural locality of Ranges Bridge, approximately 17 kilometers northwest of Dalby in Queensland's Western Downs. Registered on 12 June 2024, the project covers nearly 89 hectares of land. The region is situated within the famed Darling Downs, an area heavily utilized for agriculture, particularly broadacre cropping (cotton, sorghum, wheat) and intensive cattle grazing.

The project operates under the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology. This method is designed to sequester carbon by establishing permanent native forests on land that has been clear of forest cover for at least five years. To be eligible, the plantings must be established at a density sufficient to achieve "forest cover" status, which typically requires a stocking density of at least 200 stems per hectare with the potential to reach a height of two meters and 20% crown cover.

Environmentally, the Ranges Bridge area experiences a sub-tropical climate with moderate annual rainfall averaging roughly 670mm to 680mm, predominantly falling during summer storms. The region is renowned for its fertile "black soil" (cracking clay or Vertosols), though the project's proximity to the Condamine River suggests the presence of productive alluvial soils as well.

An interesting aspect of the proponent, Feral Pty. Ltd. (trustee for The Feral Trust), is their apparent history in agricultural innovation; public records link the company to patents for fencing components such as "dropper pickets," suggesting a practical background in grazing infrastructure. This aligns with the project's goal of integrating native vegetation into a landscape traditionally dominated by pastoral activities.